Idiots Among You

1. Yes very regularly
2. That's a very long list, to name few : inconsideration, arguing without a grasp of the subject
3. Yes, worse if I'm tired 3b. Can't say I do. But getting away and/or physical exercise helps.
4. It has happened but rarely.
5. The latest action that could have light my fuse was a coworker that unplugged equipment without thinking if it would affect anyone.

 

Are you occasionally - or perhaps frequently - bothered by idiots?​

Very frequently. Literally on a daily basis.

What do you consider idiotic behavior? ​

Utter and unashamed incompetence. Talking about a subject one has no bloody clue about, but has to talk anyway for posturing purposes.

Are there times when you're hyper-critical of everyone and everything around you?​

Yes.

If so, how do you keep things in perspective?​

I can't. I am one of the few who truly realize just how much Afghanistan is lacking in skills and expertise, not only in its own population but also by the supposed foreign "experts" that work here. I'm in a constant state of disbelief and unrivalled disappointment. Though, one thing that I have learned in Afghanistan was that unlike select European countries, Japan and parts of the Gulf region... idiocy is the norm of people's work lives around the world. Unless the nations shipped off their idiots to Afghanistan to develop a war-torn country into a flourishing democratic country.

Are you ever let down by the idiocy of someone you thought was smart?​

Yes. This usually occurs when I'm around foreigners that work for various international organizations and hold Master's and/or PhD degrees. It is unbelievable just how few and far competent people are for the kind of compensation paid by organizations here. It is also unbelievable to me how so many completely idiotic morons and imbeciles got their Master's or their PhDs awarded by their universities. No wonder the UN is such an inefficient and ineffective institution.

What has someone done to light your fuse recently?​

It is a rare day in Afghanistan for someone not to have done something completely stupid within a 24 hour period. Afghanistan has by far been the most challenging and patience-inducing place for me, and I suspect it will remain like that as I continue to work in other countries over the course of my life.

Do not mistake the state of affairs of mine to be the norm. Most people (especially expats) go through Afghanistan in a breeze and without much inconvenience. I differ because I care deeply about my work, am disheartened by other people's inability/indifference as it affects directly some things I want to move forward, and am enraged by how millions of innocent Afghans continue to hunger, thirst and freeze to death as a consequence of all the money being squandered by a whole bunch of idiots.

 

I'm totally waiting for someone to come in and argue that you're the problem through a 20+ page discussion.

HEY-OH!​

...

I'm on the low end of average intellect on a good day. As such, I find myself impressed by many people when they demonstrate a skill I haven't seen or show me a new way to do something I do regularly. I also find it hard to point at someone and call them stupid without examining their entire skill set. A large vocabulary, the ability to correct grammar and play an instrument do not mean you're not an idiot. It just shows talent or focus. The ability to change your car's motor oil, cook meals from scratch and find the clitoris do not indicate a lack of straight-up dummy-retardedness.

I have experience with a wide range of morons, dipshits, and nincompoops. I've worked with upper crust white people with fancy college degrees to illiterate Africans. Lemme tell ya: anybody can act daft or live their lives as El Stupido. White or black, rich or poor, fat or fit, attractive or fugly.

Are you occasionally - or perhaps frequently - bothered by idiots?

I'm rarely bothered by people of "low understanding." Most of the time we just disagree.

What do you consider idiotic behavior?

Owning a car but not checking the pressure of the spare tire on a regular basis. Talking on a cell phone 10+ minutes a day.

Are there times when you're hyper-critical of everyone and everything around you?

Yes, I actually get paid to do this. I'm in personnel management (adult daycare).

If so, how do you keep things in perspective?

I realize I am paid well to ensure that the client receives their services and that my personnel are alive, working and getting paid.

Are you ever let down by the idiocy of someone you thought was smart?

Sure. But it's rare. Because I genuinely believe most people aren't dumb, just different.

What has someone done to light your fuse recently?

Um... uh... I got nothing. It's a really boring telemarketer story.

...

I think the responses in this thread will say more about the person writing them than the idiots in their lives.

 

Stupidity isnt nearly as condemnable as Laziness, in my humble opinion... You cannot fix stupid, and stupid is a condition that afflicts many, sometimes at no fault of their own... Laziness however, laziness is a choice. Furthermore, laziness is a choice thats just like using tobacco... the longer you do it, the more difficult it is to stop, and it never benefits your environment or your peers, only you...

Fortunatley, just like smoking, with determination, and a good support network, you can overcome the addiction... while supporters of a recovering smoker help by encouraging, not enabling, and by helping through tolerating and understanding mood swings, the supporters of a recovering loaf, must constantly whip the lazy bastard into shape. Pain is a motivator people, I'm just sayin...

 

I'm pretty sure that as far as TFP is concerned, there's a constant circle jerk of idiocy involving me, the_jazz , Lordeden , and Baraka_Guru . Others join in from time to time, but they don't have the stamina to compete.

IRL? Constantly and I have little patience with anyone let alone those who proudly display their lack of knowledge or lack of work ethic.

 

I think we're all idiots on occasion. Which bugs me.
The way I keep it in perspective is this: Think of everyone you know. Half of them are below average.

 

Are you occasionally - or perhaps frequently - bothered by idiots?
- There is always someone who will think you're an idiot. Getting angry or emotional is hypocrisy.

What do you consider idiotic behavior?
- irrationality
- when I drive in traffic
- lack of effort
- dishonesty
- this could be a long list, cutting it short...

Are there times when you're hyper-critical of everyone and everything around you?
- every day

If so, how do you keep things in perspective?
- remaining calm, attempting to be objective as possible
- initially, giving people the benefit of the doubt

Are you ever let down by the idiocy of someone you thought was smart?
- No. This reminds me of a quote.
-“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” - Albert Einstein

What has someone done to light your fuse recently?
- when someone tells me they will do something, specifically by a certain time/date, I move forward based on the expectations we agreed upon
- I go ape shit when that doesn't happen

 

I'm known at work for "not suffering fools gladly" as the saying goes.
My tolerance gets real low when I'm tired or under a lot of work strain and I need high-level efficient functioning from myself and those around me to get the job done.
There's a look I get on my face, not under my control, that warns people to steer clear at certain times.

 

I've been a real idiot at times in my life. Done things I look back on and cringe. I'm above average intelligence and there has never been any excuse for my idiotic behavior. I can't say the same for most other idiots I know. I consider their limitations and can usually write them off without undue frustration on my part. Though I can tolerate them, I doubt I'd go so far as to invite them to an intimate dinner focused primarily on stimulating conversation and large quantities of alcohol. They probably have enough to do managing the many consequences of their idiocy anyway.

Smart people behaving idiotically? I rarely see it unless it rears its ugly head in a relationship. Clever, smart, gorgeous, successful women falling for shit-for-brains and the male version driving his life off a cliff over tits-for-brains. I've seen that all too often.

I fully agree with SCBronco - laziness is unforgivable. It really pisses me off. If I was forced to work closely with a sloth, I'd probably quit my job.

 

Just like BG, I was butthurt when I saw that I was tagged by glory's tant in a post called "Idiots Among You, but then I was ok.

*****

Are you occasionally - or perhaps frequently - bothered by idiots?

All the time, I am truly amazed and stricken by rage by all the idiots I am surrounded by. Cinn gets the blunt of this rage (I'm not angry at her, she just has to hear me bitch) as she has an unfiltered stream of my waking thoughts. Then again, I live in NC, so the average IQ is around 50.

What do you consider idiotic behavior?

I think it would be easier to list what I *don't* consider idiotic behavior. It's a very short list.

Are there times when you're hyper-critical of everyone and everything around you?

From the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep. To be honest I'm most likely angry about people while I'm asleep.

If so, how do you keep things in perspective?

Drinking, drinking helps a lot. Also, cinn does help keep me from blowing my top a lot. I tell her all the time, that there was a time I was filled with greater amounts of nerdrage and bitterness.

Also, getting laid helps. It's hard to be angry at people when you get regular "O" faces.

Are you ever let down by the idiocy of someone you thought was smart?

I actually forgive people for being stupid on random occasions, especially if they have proven to lay on the right side of the bell curve. I generally make fun of them more than get mad at them.

What has someone done to light your fuse recently?

I'm trying to think of a instance, but not really getting a clear picture. My nerdrage usually passes as quickly as it comes about. I think it might have been the last time I read a Strange Famous rant.

 

Are you occasionally - or perhaps frequently - bothered by idiots?
It depends on the type of idiot that you're referring to.
People of low intellect? Persons with poor insight? Insensitive assholes?
I'm frequently bothered by people that don't give a shit, who are narrow-minded, thus limiting their insight.
Not on a daily basis, but frequently enough that I feel like I can comment.

What do you consider idiotic behavior?
Those who, in the face of cognitive dissonance, cling to what they hold dear,
rather than taking even a moment to think objectively about another point of view.
Talking down to or treating someone as less than they are because of who they are or
how someone perceives him to be.
Actually, we're all rather idiotic in some ways.

Are there times when you're hyper-critical of everyone and everything around you?

​

If so, how do you keep things in perspective?
Yes. There are plenty of times. Then I remind myself that I'm an electrical wiring idiot.
I'm an advanced mathematical idiot. In the case of intellect, any way.
I'm lucky I haven't electrocuted myself by now. That's one of the reasons I'm with a wiring genius.

​

Are you ever let down by the idiocy of someone you thought was smart?
No. I'm responsible for my own expectations.
If someone doesn't meet my expectations about their intelligence or capabilities, who's the real idiot?
I might be let down by someone's lack of insight or lack of willingness to look at my perspective, but not their "idiocy."

​

What has someone done to light your fuse recently?
No one can make you angry. You let it happen.
Breathe in, breathe out... and walk away. It takes more energy to be upset or lit.
Removing my energy from their direction my best solution.

 

Are you occasionally - or perhaps frequently - bothered by idiots?
It depends on the reason. Idiocy for idiocy's sake is fun. Idiocy because of incompetence in an area where you should be competent annoys me. But while dealing with idiots is annoying, being one is worse. And I admit to being an idiot/asshole myself at times, and that bothers me far more than I can say. I can forgive your idiocy as being an off-day, or a result of other pressures, or even overlook it to some extent because in other areas, such as your kids/family you're really great. I can't overlook my own idiocy.

What do you consider idiotic behavior?
Treating others in a way that belittles them or their work. Massive persistent incompetence. Total lack of interpersonal skills, either up or down the chain of command. And my own personal bête noire - losing control when dealing with other idiots... it makes you one yourself.

Are there times when you're hyper-critical of everyone and everything around you?
There have been, and I work hard not to be.

If so, how do you keep things in perspective?
General Semantics teaches us to label and index... Greywolf [2012-02-09 8:00am] is an idiot/asshole/jerk. Greywolf [2012-02-08 7:00pm] was a nice guy whose basketball team actually thanked him with tears in their eyes for coaching them this year. Idiots and assholes aren't idiots and assholes ALL the time; it takes way too much effort to sustain idiocy on a 24/365 basis. Try to find the times they aren't.

Are you ever let down by the idiocy of someone you thought was smart?
Mostly by myself. It's amazing how often I manage to expose my own lack of intelligence.

What has someone done to light your fuse recently?
I reported a problem with a basketball net that was potentially dangerous to the point we could not play in that gym if it were not fixed. Yesterday, before our last game, I asked if had been addressed. The person to whom I reported it, the Athletic Director, had not followed up. This was something that could have hurt the kids!! Badly! I went and found the maintenance director, who assured me that it had been corrected, but I couldn't believe the AD had no idea if the gym were safe or not. Unbelievable.

 

1. 9-12 hours a day minimum.
2. To quote Zweiblumen, "arguing without a grasp of the subject." In the nuclear construction industry, everyone's an expert...
3. Drink. Also, during arguments with said idiots, particularly technical arguments, I lay out a point by point technical response in writing, that is just about a legal defense. Usually stops them in their tracks a bit, and then you only have to deal with the idiots pissing and whining.
4. Very rarely. I was introduced to a few people who had some very intelligent responses to the initial question upon meeting them, only to hear things come from them down the road that made you wonder what sort of hallucinogens they were indulging in.
5. Tried to argue that we were in nonconformance with a construction Code to which they'd never worked or written a procedure to. After being proven wrong (and admitting it), they then tried to lure technical representatives of a certain organization into responding a particular way to leading questions that they then misrepresented, and paraphrased in an e-mail to high-level management to try to appear correct. Unfortunately for them, we had worked with a number of those people for years and were friends with several of them, showed them how they were being misrepresented, and the idiots received a not-so-nice email from those technical reps legal team informing them of their wrongdoings, which was also copied to upper management.

 

This one climbs trees:

Anabas testudineus, the Climbing Perch

This one too:

Kryptolebias marmoratus - the Mangrove Killifish (also reproduces without mating)

And these guys:

Mudskippers...

But then again, Eintein was a physicist, not an ichthyologist, so I guess he's not an idiot. ;-)

 

Are you occasionally - or perhaps frequently - bothered by idiots?

Yes, but I work for the government, so it's a given ;-)

What do you consider idiotic behavior?

That's a big list, but ignoring history and continuing to do the same things that haven't ever worked is the number one.


Are there times when you're hyper-critical of everyone and everything around you?

Yes, unfortunately, but I try to take a deep breath and accept that others are just not quite all I want them to be.


If so, how do you keep things in perspective?

Diligence in breathing exercises. I also acknowledge that I don't rule the world. ( but I should )


Are you ever let down by the idiocy of someone you thought was smart?

Don't get me started... My younger brother is one of the smartest people that I've ever met. Well spoken and highly educated, but he makes the dumbest life decisions of anyone I know. He's a pharmacist, or was, and well paid, but lost his job because he pocketed a bottle of drugs, which were cheap, and he had a prescription for. He then admitted the theft, which was never in any jeopardy of being found out. He also cheated on his wife, that he LOVES SO MUCH, and then told her. He didn't expect her to be mad or throw him out. ( it's all her fault by the way... )

Now he lives with a fat, ne'er do well woman who only likes him for his earning potential. woot


What has someone done to light your fuse recently?

Fuse seems never to unlight lately. Guess I need to do more deep breathing.

 

Oh, I so HATE stupid people.

I work in Special Education and I find many of the students I meet are more intelligent than some of the stupid people that I meet outside the classroom. I think the kids help me put things into perspective. Although maybe this could actually make me hate stupidity in the average person more. I'm not sure.

I am frequently bothered by idiots. Just last weekend my kid went to a Basketball tournament. I was very irritated by some of the stupidity I encountered there.
-The elimination schedule was designed so poorly that everyone, including the tournament organizers and referees, were confused.
-They were only selling junk food in the concessions for an elementary BB tournament in which the kids were playing hard for 3-4 hours total. I had brought veges and fruit for the whole team fortunately since none of the other parents had done so. They devoured almost all of it.
-The organizers also had no ice packs or first aid individuals or kits available. My daughter jammed a finger and it became disjointed, swollen and bruised. I ended up getting plastic grocery bags that I had brought and filled them with snow for her and later on for another of our students who bruised a knee. I was very glad that I had brought a limited first aid kit of my own. It was used for 4 other kids, not all on my daughter's team. I had also brought gatoraid powder (the school ran out of gatoraid) and was able to help one girl who became ill from dehydration and exhaustion.

I was probably somewhat more critical of the tournament organizers because I personally HATE basketball and even get panic attacks at times when I know we're going to have to be at a game. Otherwise I don't think I have much fluctuation in my irritability with the issue of stupidity.

I've been let down often by individuals who are VERY book smart. Those with great knowledge but little experience are chronically 'stupid'. I have learned to just plan for the worst and hope for the best.

RY​

 

if knowledge is power, and practice makes perfect, then a highly educated rookie is a dangerous dangerous thing...